


Being Found

by IndigoWinter



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire, Derek and Stiles are Mates, Fluff and Angst, Full Shift Werewolves, Growing Up Together, Mild Gore, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sheriff Stilinski Feels, Stilinski Family Feels, Tags Are Hard, True Mates, Werefox Stiles, Werefoxes, more canon characters to come later, no smut until way later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-23
Updated: 2014-04-23
Packaged: 2018-01-20 12:53:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1511276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IndigoWinter/pseuds/IndigoWinter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A tale of adopted family, clumsy courtship, and two equally dorky idiots stumbling through their feelings.</p><p>Or,</p><p>An AU in which the Hale family never burned, Stiles is an orphaned werefox and found by the pack at a very young age, True Mates are a thing, and Kate Argent is still a fucking psycho.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Being Found

**Author's Note:**

> Not Beta read; don't take too seriously.

\--000--

With Cora’s birth six months behind her, Talia Hale felt content.

The pregnancy had been relatively easy, with both Laura and Derek’s conceptions under her belt already. With nary a hiccup carrying her youngest daughter to term, combined with Peter and Olivia’s twins being delivered successfully three years earlier, Talia felt a deep seated satisfaction at the sense of her pack’s steady growth.

There had been no major threats to their safety, save the odd Omega, but nothing her mate nor herself couldn’t handle. Aaron was happy knowing she was happy, as both her husband and Beta. He may have been bitten, but could feel the pack ties as strongly as any born wolf would. An upset Alpha set the whole pack on edge; a happy one meant life was good for all.

Of course, Laura was almost twelve, approaching puberty and getting more rebellious by the day. Derek, being five years younger, followed her around with stars in his eyes like she’d already inherited her mother’s mantle. It was cute, even if he’d flush and vehemently deny any teasing sent his away. Talia wasn’t too worried about her oldest challenging her authority, however. She raised her children well enough to know better.

All in all, things where good to the Hale pack. Ties were strong, danger didn’t loom over the horizon, and Beacon Hills, for once, was allowing it’s supernatural residents a long moment of reprieve.

So the Alpha felt comfortable allowing a familial run a fortnight before the full moon, to let loose some mounting tension. Olivia, being human and much less inclined to chase rabbits under the stars, opted to watch after Cora, Marie, and Mason while everyone else let loose. Pecking her mate on the lips, followed by a playful swat on the behind, she waved them off, baby Cora half asleep in her arms.

“No bringing Bambi back between your teeth this time,” she said.

“You say the sweetest things,” Peter replied with a smirk, “And here I thought you liked being showered with gifts.”

“Not when they make kissing you a bloody nightmare,” Olivia went to close the door, Cora stirring in her arms. “A mouth full of deer guts hardly sets the mood, love.”

Peter snorted, but a rare smile graced his features as he joined the rest of the pack, all already in varying degrees of the shift. His mate was a very calming influence on him, more so than the average werewolf, though Talia would never voice such thoughts out loud. Peter had always been on the fringe of deceptively dangerous, more inclined to violent, if not well-planned and discreet, violence. All good traits of an Alpha’s Left Hand, but made him ill-equipped to be her Second, a place held by Aaron alone.

“You know the rules,” Talia began, like always.

“No running outside howling distance,” Laura interrupted. “No getting seen. Be back before dawn. We know Mom, _jeeze_.”

“Laura,” the Alpha refrained from flashing her eyes, but let her tone harden and Laura huffed but quieted. “Derek?”

“I’ll stay with Laura,” the seven year-old said. “No separating.”

“Good,” Talia began shifting out of her clothes. “And anything you take down is your responsibility. Either bury it-”

“Or munch on it like good little puppies. They aren’t toddlers, Talia,” Peter rolled his eyes.

Her hackles rose, but Aaron smoothed her shoulder in calming circles. Cora’s still recent birth had her maternal instincts running high, she’d admit, but her brother’s penchant for sass miffed her none the less. She shook her head, letting it go before shifting completely. Her full-wolf form came easily, the size of a small horse, fur black as coal and eyes deep red. Aaron shifted to Beta form, the most he could manage being only bitten, the odd duck of the bunch, everyone else full-shifting into similarly dark coated wolves. Peter was still large, but nowhere near his sister’s size, Laura and Derek even smaller, the size of normal wolves.

The group split, Laura nipping Derek’s ear and barking, before setting out in a run. Her brother joyfully followed with a responding yip. Peter went in his own direction, off to do god knows what.

“Probably off to find a doe to leave on the porch,” Aaron said, as if reading her mind. “He likes making her mad.”

 _He likes what happens after she cools off_ , Talia clarified, brushing his flank with her snout before breaking into a leisurely trot. There was only so much the soundproofing of the all the bedrooms in the manor could disguise. Werewolves may be more liberal when it came to all things physical, but that didn’t mean she liked hearing Peter’s muffled make-up sex every other week.

Aaron followed her pace for several minutes, the pair simply soaking up the peaceful air of the preserve. Sounds of the night echoed around them, creatures scuttling out of their way, recognizing the predators for what they were.

Talia was so entranced by the state of her territory that she didn’t notice her mate’s eyes glint mischievously in the darkness. Aaron growled, before butting her side and quickly backing off, getting down on all fours, claws digging into the wet earth. Her eyes flashed a brighter red in response, before growling in return and pouncing. He skillfully dodged, barking in challenge, before sprinting in the opposite direction. Talia’s chest hummed at the offered chase, instincts to _claim_ and _preypreyprey_ ringing in her ears.

It was a familiar dance they fell into, one they perfected during their courting years. They seemed much longer ago than they really were, but three kids and peacetime did that to a couple. It ended as it always did, Aaron slowing and Talia circling him through the trees, pouncing when he least expected. His back hit the ground, Talia’s front legs bracing his shoulders, claws prickling skin. He panted, as did she, scents of arousal filling the air. He tipped his head back and she held his neck between her teeth, throat letting out a pleased rumble at the submission.

Things would have pleasurably escalated, Talia already shifting to Beta form, if the sound of nearing footfalls hadn’t caught their attention. Talia was instantly on edge; because it was _Peter_ coming quickly toward them. And Peter was never so hurried, so noticeable in his approach. The heavy scent of distress, tinted with anger and... _sadness?_ followed, the wolf in question appearing moments later, also in half-shift, face somewhat pale.

She was on her feet in an second, reaching through the pack bonds for her children first and foremost. Something was very, very wrong, but she hadn’t noticed- “Derek and Laura are fine,” Peter opened, eyes slightly unfocused, mind obviously elsewhere. “I found something you need to see. Urgently.”

Sensing the seriousness of the situation, she nodded and looked at her mate. “Go get the pups and take them home. Then find me.”

He did as ordered, leaving the siblings, the suddenly tonal shift of the evening making him somewhat disoriented. Peter didn’t leave room for questions, simply leading Talia in a random direction in a frantic pace that looked unnatural applied to his usually so self-assured form.

_Something was very wrong indeed._

It wasn’t a minute later before the scent of blood hit Talia’s nose. Human, yet animal at the same time.

 _A were?_ Her brow furrowed.

Not wolf. She would have certainty sensed an Omega entering her territory. The scent was fainter, less overbearing than a werewolf’s, more earthy and arid. Followed shortly after was the burning stench of mistletoe on fresh, laced with a foreign spicy poison she couldn’t recognize. No wolfsbane, but it reeked of death nonetheless.

And that’s when another scent hit her as Peter lead her closer to the source; one that made her hair stand on end and heart beat wildly.

_The scent of afterbirth._

Peter stopped when they broke through a dense set of bushes, and Talia nearly crashed into him in shock of what she saw.

There, huddled around something in a tight, protective ball, was a werefox.

Double the size of a normal fox but still smaller than even Derek’s full-form, the vixen was coated in its own blood. A wound, days old and festering with the mix of poisons she’d smelled earlier, gaped across her side. If Talia hadn't heard its the weak heartbeat herself, she would have swore the fox was dead. Not all of the blood was from the wound, however- no, Talia could smell the distinction, and it was very apparent that the vixen had just given birth no less than an hour ago. Sensing the wolves, the fox opened her eyes, already glossy and lacking much life. She stared at the pair, before finding the strength to tighten her protective embrace and let out a truly pitiful but heartfelt growl.

Talia shifted to human form, Peter following by example.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” she began, showing her palms and inching forward. The vixen growled louder, before whimpering and licking the small bundle she was curled around; a plea to leave her child alone.

“I’m Alpha Hale of Beacon Hills,” Talia continued lowly, getting closer and kneeling down. “You and your kit are in no danger. Can you shift? I need to know who you are so I can help.”

Peter scoffed, face taught and eyes averted. “She’s past help, Talia. She’s going to die.”

“I know that,” Talia made no effort to whisper. The Alpha turned back to the fox. “You are too injured for us to move you. The infection has spread too deep. I’m sorry.”

The vixen looked away, resignation in her eyes, tensing tighter around her newborn.

“Where is your mate? Was he with you?” Peter asked, already scenting the air, trying to pick up smell of another dead werefox nearby. And it had to be dead, because no were alive would be absent for the birth of its young.

The vixen didn’t answer, heartbeat growing weaker.

“I need you to shift,” Talia pressed, eyes flashing crimson. “I know it will kill you, but I need you to shift.”

The werefox locked eyes with the Alpha, asking a thousand silent questions, making a thousand judgments.

“Do you want your kit to grow up not knowing its mother’s name?”

That made the fox’s heartbeat skip. Her eyes shut and she took in a tight, shuddering breath, an eerie echo of a death rattle. Talia heard the familiar snapping of bones reforming, but the vixen could only manage a distorted parody of Beta shift before stopping out of pain. Her hair was a chocolate brown, streaked with remnants of her fox fur’s red, an effect of the incomplete shift. Her skin was pale, dotted with moles, and eyes a light hazel. With the mother larger, Talia had a better view of newborn kit, barely groomed, looking so small.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” the Alpha felt the need to say, despite time being short.

The vixen blinked slowly, breath extremely shallow.

“Who are you?”

“C-Claudia...” it was so softly whispered, so quiet, that if Talia wasn’t a wolf she wouldn’t have heard it. “Please...” Claudia’s fingers ghosted over the baby curled against her breast.

Talia shared a look with her brother.

“Sister,” he warned. This was ludicrous- happening too abruptly, but his protest sounded token even to his ears.

She disregarded him, resolve steeling. There was only one thing _to_ do. “I’ll look after your kit. I swear to you on my title and pack to care for your child.”

That seemed to be enough. Claudia’s lip curled ever so slightly, a few tears spilling from her eyes. She coughed, black ooze splattering the ground.

“His n-name,” her voice was watery, eyes shut. “... _Genim_.”

Claudia tried to say a last name, but the sound was indistinguishable from her coughing. She convulsed abruptly, and Talia took the kit from her out of fear of the mother crushing him. By the time the woman stilled, she was dead.

There was utter silence in the preserve then, both wolves at a loss. Talia looked down at the bundle in her palms, so very light. Genim’s fur was gray; the color wouldn’t grow in until he was older. She knew little about werefoxes. They were rare, nearly extinct things, hunted for twisted sport, skinned for trophies despite being supremely docile. The Alpha felt like it was half a year ago, and she had Cora in her arms, just as helpless. Genim was both blind and deaf, and would be for a fortnight until he grew into his senses.

“Talia?” Aaron appeared then, sounding confused but stopping abruptly at the scene before him. His eyes flickered from Claudia’s body to the kit in his mate’s hands, to Peter. Talia held a hand up, silencing both of them.

“Get Deaton. Tell him to perform an autopsy. I want to know exactly what killed her and who she was. Have him dispose of her body however he advises,” she ordered her brother, who for once obeyed without comment or complaint.

“Aaron,” she turned to her mate, standing. “I... _we_...”

The Beta didn’t press, merely gentled a hand on the shallow of her back and helped her back to the house.

\--000--

“They’re coming back!” Laura shook her brother; Derek had almost fallen asleep, tired from the run despite being ushered home early with no explanation and an order to stay put. She was looking out the living room window into the front yard.

“Are they?” Olivia asked, looking up from her book and seat on the sofa. She’d put the twins and Cora to sleep and hour ago, just a little before Aaron had reappeared and hurriedly left the two on the doorstep before rushing off again. She got up and looked out the window as well, but frowned when she didn’t see Peter anywhere in sight. Talia and Aaron had on the bare amount of clothing, no doubt scoured from one of the numerous stashes they had all around the preserve. Talia had something wrapped up in a sweatshirt held to her chest.

“Where’s your uncle at?” Olivia tried to keep herself from jumping to conclusions, but it was damn hard not to. “Can you smell him?”

“No. They smell bad, though,” Laura wrinkled her nose. “Uck, did they roll around in the mud?”

Derek perked up and scented the air. There was an unpleasant odor; it reminded Derek of rotten fruit and spoiled milk. But on a second whiff, he could catch something else. Faint, but oddly sweet. It was too intrenched in the stinky smell for him to really tell (he wasn’t too great with his nose yet), but he kinda liked it, whatever it was.

“Talia?” Olivia was crowding the pair as soon as they were in the door. “Where’s Peter? Is he okay?”

“He’s with Deaton.”

“Deaton?” Laura echoed. “Is uncle Peter sick?”

“No, he’s perfectly fine. I asked him to check on something for me, that’s all,” Talia replied in a clipped tone. “Go to your rooms and go to bed. Its almost dawn.”

“But _Mom_...” Laura whined. “What happened? Why do you and Dad smell so bad?”

“ _Laura_ ,” Aaron said sharply. “Derek, take your sister and go to bed. Now.”

Derek shivered at his father’s tone, but for once didn’t feel like obeying. Now that his parents were inside, he could smell the sweet scent better. The odor was there as well, but Derek found himself easily able to block it out. The enticing scent of cinnamon and green apple, mixed with vanilla and something hot he couldn’t place filled his nose. And it was coming from the bundle in his mother’s arms.

“What’s that?” Derek asked, reaching for the sweatshirt, completely disregarding his father’s order.

“Derek, _listen to your father_ ,” Talia let the Alpha command sink into her tone, too tired to deal with the two. She had too much to sort out before she could even _think_ about explaining things to them. “Bed. **_Now_**.”

And Derek knew he should have ducked his head a whimpered at the order, obeying immediately like Laura did, but something in him fought hard against the urge. _No_ , it said.

He couldn’t go to bed, because that sweet smell was _his_. He needed to have it; to be with it because _it was his_. His mother shouldn’t have even been holding it. _She had no right_.

His wolf preened and growled like it never had before, angry and happy and a million other things at once. He felt confused and overwhelmed and all the feelings were building into his monstrous urge he _couldn’t control-_

_mineminemineclaimclaimclaimMATE-_

_“No!”_ Derek shouted. “That’s mine! **_Give it to me_**!”

There was absolute silence for a split second before a dozen things happened at once.

Aaron tackled his son to the ground because Derek had lunged at his mother, claws out and Beta shift rippling under his skin.

Talia let out a roar, laced with power.

Cora and the twins woke up, baby monitors altering everyone to the fact.

Olivia let out a half-startled scream, and Laura whimpered loudly, braced against the wall.

“Derek! Calm down!” Aaron straddled his son, bracing his arms behind his back as the seven year-old snapped his jaws in a feral manner, spit going everywhere.

Olivia rushed out of the room to quiet the babies, cellphone out and calling Deaton’s office.

Talia stared at Derek, and then at little Genim in her arms. Then back to her son.

Derek was struggling all he could, not understanding what was going on, why his parents were denying him the sweet thing when it so obviously belonged with him, wrapped in his scent and kept away from the world, safe in Derek’s room where he’d be with it forever.

And then his mother was down on the floor with him, and his father was letting him go. He was on his knees and grabbing at the sweatshirt in an instant, wolf whining to have ahold of the bundle. He saw it then- what the thing was.

It was tiny and gray, its eyes shut, little nose sniffing in his direction. A fox, but like him- human too. It yipped and nosed its way out of the folds of fabric toward him, but stumbled. Derek whimpered and looked at his mother, who locked eyes with him.

“Be very careful. He’s only a baby. Just a few hours old.”

And then the fox was in his arms, and Derek felt _right_. He found himself full-shifting without a thought, nosing the little sweet thing with his snout before pulling a communal blanket off the nearby sofa and laying it on the ground. Things would be better if they were in his room, surrounded by only _his_ blankets and _his_ scent, but the scent of his pack would have to suffice.

He laid down, pulling the sweatshirt and its precious cargo to his chest, licking the fox until he was sure it was clean and warm, before curling around it, content rolling off him in waves.

“His name is Genim,” he distantly hears his Alpha say, so very far away.

Genim, his wolf rumbles. _Genim_.

Genim the fox.

Genim, his mate.

And Derek fell asleep, oblivious to everything around him. Because nothing mattered at the moment, because he had his mate.

And everything would be perfect from then on, because _he had his mate_.

\--000--

Talia watched her son nest in with a mixture of her wolf’s joy and her rational mind’s abject horror.

This was...unexpected. Unexpected, terrible, wonderful, amazing, and downright exhausting. Her son, her seven year-old son, had found his mate, his _true mate_ , in a three hour-old, orphaned werefox.

“Deaton’s on his way. Peter too,” Olivia said from the upstairs hallway, knowing they’d hear her.

“Good,” Aaron said, voice very distant. “That’s...good. I think. God, what a fucking mess.”

“We’ll need to wake them up soon to feed Genim something,” Talia remarked. “Claudia died before she could. No doubt the poisoning ruined anything she could have given him anyway.”

“Yeah,” her mate replied, nuzzling her neck. “And we’ll need to drill Deaton about all things werefox, seeing as this one’s a permeant part of the family now. I don’t know a goddamn thing about them.”

A sense of exhausted acceptance overcame the pair. The next couple days were going to be hell, but something good had come out of it all. A true pairing was nothing to sneeze at. A million questions still hung heavy in the air, but they were all for a later time.

“When do you think Genim will be able to shift?”

“I don’t know. Not for a while, probably. At least we’ll have all the baby things already on hand when he can.”

Talia hummed, and she sank into the couch, Aaron following suit. There’s was nothing else to do than to wait for Deaton now, watching the rise and fall of their son’s chest as he slept peacefully, little Genim tucked safely into his side.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback would really help. I have a rough plot figured out, but I'm still shaky on this. 
> 
> PS: the Hale pack is much larger than just those who live in the house. We'll see more of them later, as well as learn just what the hell happened to Mama Stilinski and stuff. I'm going to try to reply to all comments, so if you have any questions and they don't venture too far into spoiler territory, I'll answer them to the best of my ability.


End file.
